New Caius rainbow flag flies to mark start of LGBT History Month

The rainbow flag is flying over Caius today to mark the start of LGBT History Month. This is the first outing for our beautiful new flag. We flew a rainbow flag last year, but this one is bigger, better and specially made for the Gonville & Caius Student Union (GCSU) after College Council gave permission for the flag to be raised today.
LGBT History Month aims to increase the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community. The flag is a symbol of LGBT rights and equality, and a survey conducted by the GCSU last year found Caius students also considered it a broader emblem of inclusion and tolerance.

At Caius, the commissioning and flying of the flag has been organised by our undergraduate and graduate LGBT+ officers, Toby Ashworth and Hugo Larose. Both climbed the many stairs to the Waterhouse Building roof today to watch the new flag being raised for the first time on the flagpole above the Great Gate by Porter John Turton.
Toby said: "We were delighted and proud that the College Council agreed to raise the LGBT+ flag today to celebrate the start of LGBT+ History Month for the second year running, in what we hope will become an annual tradition for the college.
"Although it was a cold and grey morning, standing on the roof and seeing rainbow flags popping up on the flagpoles across Cambridge was a sight to behold – particularly in a year which has started on rocky ground for LGBT+ people, especially in the United States, where some of their liberties seem to be under threat. "Nevertheless, it was great to hear this week that the UK Government has agreed to pardon thousands of gay men for past convictions. LGBT+ History Month exists to celebrate the lives of LGBT+ people – their struggles and their successes – and there is an exciting programme of events taking place this month both in Cambridge and across the country."

The Caius rainbow flag was made by our flag suppliers The Flag Workshop in Eynesbury, St Neots, who have also recently made our stunning new Boathouse flag.